Arne Slot spot on with blunt verdict after Liverpool's failure against Leeds

Liverpool was held to a 0-0 Premier League draw by Leeds at Anfield on New Year's Day, with Reds boss Arne Slot left to rue his side's lack of attacking threat on Merseyside

Arne Slot has offered his opinion on Thursday's game(Image: Getty Images)

To be fair, Arne Slot didn't trumpet his grievance as the explanation for another disappointing waypoint in Liverpool's title defence.

But he certainly reckons his players are suffering due to their own honesty. Following a game practically devoid of talking points, Slot discussed at length Hugo Ekitike staying on his feet despite some rough treatment from Jaka Bijol early in the opening period. Referee Chris Kavanagh spotted no infringement, while VAR official Darren England saw no reason to step in.

"If he (Ekitike) would have fallen down, it would probably have been a penalty, but this season, so many times, when we were fouled, we did not get a penalty," said Slot.

"Our players try to stay on their feet, and then it is hard for the VAR to interfere.

"I think I am not wrong in that we have only had one penalty this season. For the team with the most ball possession, that is surprising. If you don’t get the result you want, it adds up to frustration. But it is not the reason we didn’t win."

And he's bang on.

Liverpool was held by Leeds(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool's failure to win on New Year's Day was because Slot's team delivered as poor an attacking performance as the Merseyside club's supporters have witnessed during the manager's 84-match reign.

Ekitike enjoyed a couple of instances when he presented something resembling a danger, including when Bijol grappled with him, and the figures revealed that Liverpool managed 19 efforts at goal, four of which found the target.

But there was scarcely a half-chance worth noting. Following encounters like this, it becomes difficult to lend any weight to arguments for offloading Mohamed Salah.

Leeds and Daniel Farke, naturally, merit enormous praise. They are currently enjoying an undefeated streak of six Premier League fixtures, two of which came against the title holders.

The audacious decision to deploy Dominic Calvert-Lewin as a late substitute nearly bore fruit, though the striker had drifted marginally offside when executing his astute finish.

Farke himself expressed frustration with referee Kavanagh over a severe yellow card that sidelines Ethan Ampadu from Sunday's clash with Manchester United. Understandably so. It was a highly questionable handball ruling, let alone worthy of a caution.

But Farke refused to allow that incident to dampen his overall satisfaction, remarking: "It doesn't come along that often that you get a clean sheet and a point at Anfield. We had to defend and suffer, but we are newly promoted and came to the defending champions.

"There's always a special atmosphere on New Year's Day, and you could feel that from the crowd, but we performed well. The lads defended well and didn't allow clear-cut chances. It's always important to be rock-solid against the ball and keep a clean sheet."